A Mother’s Day Thank You

This Mother’s Day has given me pause to thank all the mothers who work at Dwell Realty. I am not a mother except to two poodles, Hapa and Peaches. They require feeding, bathing, walking, grooming and playful attention. But, I’ve been free to work long hours without worrying about child care and missing teacher meetings, dance recitals or basketball games. I have great respect, if not always empathy, for the women in my office who succeed in balancing all of those family needs while still doing exemplary work that continues to make Dwell Realty a success. So on this Mother’s Day, THANK YOU Becky Baird, Carole Marvel, Janis Tolbert, Debbie Moore, Anna Sovitsky, Andrea Senn, Jennifer Bohannon, Katie Adkins, Maggie Gray, Rowena Pediangco, Shelly Vogel, Starr Marsett, Teri Hensel, Trina Kindred, Janet Daley, Ruth Barndt, Pat Robinson, Andrea Gribbin, Tammy Stewart, Elizabeth Heynen, Lindsey Johnson, Silvia Engeloch, Natalie Travers-Smyre, all women Dwell realtors who are mothers.

According to national statistics women make or influence between 85 to 92% of all home buying decisions so it’s a natural fit that more women are realtors than men. It also explains some of buyers wants and needs when it comes to making a home purchase.  Is it any wonder that on top of the wants and needs list is a big laundry room instead of a washer/dryer stuck in a hall closet? Women also want mud rooms with shelves and hooks. Forget the bi-fold doors because they just get in the way. A mother with children wants four bedrooms up when they are young but once they become teenagers, mothers start shopping for a basement or flex room above the garage.

For many, the type of plan takes precedence over quartz countertops in the master bathroom or the free standing tub. Women tend to focus more on the inside of the home and how the family can relate to one another. A good example is the open kitchen/great room concept and the big kitchen island where kids and parents gather for meal prep at the end of the day. Over the past five years that kitchen island has grown to over seven feet in length. I can remember when it was no bigger than a large cutting board!

More and more families are ‘blended’ and/or multi-generational which creates the need for flexible spaces and privacy corners. One area of the home which has actually shrunk is the master bedroom. Some of that space has changed into an open loft or a larger master bath with separate his and her vanities.

Women care more about how it feels inside rather than how it looks on the outside. I don’t know many women buyers who want a 1,000 square foot garage or a roof over the deck so that they can BBQ rain or snow. But more on men’s wants and needs on Father’s Day. So for now, Happy Mother’s Day to all women who fulfill the multi-faceted role of motherhood.